Bauchi Government Bars Traditional Leaders From Welcoming Dogara

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has accused Bauchi State Government of not granting him access to traditional rulers in the state.

Dogara, who spoke through one of his aides, Iliyasu Zwall, told newsmen in Bauchi, yesterday, that the state government has been making it hard for the Speaker to access traditional rulers.

According to him, “it was reliably gathered that the state government had ordered that Speaker Dogara Yakubu should not be allowed to visit any palace or be received by any of the traditional rulers across the state for reason best known to them.

“It was in the agenda that if the Speaker came to the state for the flagging-off of federal projects in his constituency, Bogoro, Dass, Tafawa Balewa on Saturday, he would visit some royal fathers, including the Emir of Bauchi’s palace, Ningi and that of Misau.

“But we understood that the state government had warned the traditional rulers not to receive the Speaker in their palace.”

Zwall explained that “instead, he visited the teaching hospital to see the sick, to avoid putting any traditional ruler in government’s bad records.”

However, in a swift reaction, the government, through the Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Abdullahi Edrees, said he was not aware of such development, declaring that nobody stopped anyone from visiting any traditional ruler’s palace in the state.

He said: “As the Commissioner for Information, I am not aware that somebody is blocked from accessing traditional rulers’ palaces. That is a rumour and an unfounded lie to tarnish the government’s image.”